


Twenty-one and a Half

by LunaRowena



Series: Brambles [1]
Category: Pillars of Eternity
Genre: Canon Dialogue, Friendship, Gen, Orlan Watcher, Raedric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 17:16:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16664926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LunaRowena/pseuds/LunaRowena
Summary: “Name’s Edér. Though to the people around here, might as well be ‘Nineteen.’” He looked the orlan up and down. Axe at her side, shield on her back, scale armor. All well cared for but worn. Mercenary? He was twice as tall as her but the way she held herself didn’t make her seem small. “Don’t think I’d put you much higher than Twenty-two. Twenty-three tops. You look like the sort that likes to get involved.”She just looked at him, unblinking. “Don’t you mean Twenty-one and a half?”





	Twenty-one and a Half

**Author's Note:**

> For Pillars Prompts Weekly #0056: Raedric, Eder, promises

Edér refilled his pipe for the second time as the pair of them just stood there looking at that damn tree. That wasn’t quite true. The orlan was staring. The elven man was nervously shifting between his feet, looking back and forth between the orlan and the tree, occasionally pulling out a book and flipping through it before stuffing it back in his bag away from the rain.

The orlan stared at the tree. Edér stared at her. Weren’t orlans around these parts. Oh, sure, there were orlans in the Dyrwood, but not in Gilded Vale. The occasional dwarf like Tenfrith, but orlans? Edér could count on one hand the number of orlans he’d seen in his life. They were bedtime stories to frighten small children into line. Be good or the orlans will come at night and eat you up. Stay on the path. When he was older, never trust an orlan. Slippery, untrustworthy lot. Cheat you so much as look at you if they didn’t rob you blind. Shame. Their ears looked so soft.

The elf he’d seen hanging around the Black Hound but Edér didn’t know where the orlan came from. Or what the Hel she was doing. Standing there, glassy eyed and slack jawed, staring at that tree of corpses. Kith around here who knew what was good for them ignored it, pretended it didn’t exist. Apparently nobody told her. Or maybe it was an orlan thing. There was probably some story of them stealing the souls of the dead.

He blew out a puff of smoke. Hel, he shouldn’t judge her for paying attention when he was standing right here under it. Ever since Swithin been hanged he’d just stopped… living. Just came out to the damn tree and smoked. Waiting his turn. Might as well make it easy for them when they came for him next. The smart thing to do would be to skip town. There was nothing left for him anymore but death. Parents gone, Woden gone, Elafa gone, Kolsc gone, Swithin gone. But he was just so damn tired. Every day he woke up thinking that this would be the day he would leave. But he just kept waiting. For what, he didn’t know.

Eventually the orlan shook herself out of her stupor, water flinging from the loose ends of her coppery hair. She coughed, sniffed the air, and then turned and looked him right in the eye. He tried to look like he hadn’t just been staring as she strode towards him. The elf followed along after.

She stopped in front of him, arms crossed, an ear raised… questioningly?

Edér smirked and met her gaze. “Seventeen and a half.”

She blinked. “Excuse me?” Judging by her accent, she wasn’t from the Dyrwood.

“Could be eighteen dependin’ on how you count the dwarf woman.”

There was something that flashed across her eyes he couldn’t quite make out. “What about the dwarf woman?” He’d seen the way she was discretely checking the surrounding area in the militia. Looked like that axe at her side wasn’t just for show, maybe. What had spooked her about the dwarf?

“You were tryin’ to figure out whether to count her as a full person. I think you oughta.”

She looked at him with an expression that reminded him of nothing less than his mother when she caught him and Woden in their more outrageous lies. The mix of “I can’t believe you just said that” and disapproval. If his mother was three feet tall and had long, fluffy ears and green-brown cat eyes. “What are you talking about?” she asked. 

“The people hangin’ from the tree. Eighteen of ‘em. Last I counted, anyway.” He didn’t need to count anymore. He knew them all by name and number.

The elf frowned. “Is that what you people do for fun around here?”

Edér ignored him. “Name’s Edér. Though to the people around here, might as well be ‘Nineteen.’” He looked the orlan up and down. Axe at her side, shield on her back, scale armor. All well cared for but worn. Mercenary? He was twice as tall as her but the way she held herself didn’t make her seem small. “Don’t think I’d put you much higher than Twenty-two. Twenty-three tops. You look like the sort that likes to get involved.”

She just looked at him, unblinking. “Don’t you mean Twenty-one and a half?” She grinned, showing her teeth. Edér could have sworn they were pointier than normal kith’s. “Or I could be the other half that makes the Seventeen and a half an Eighteen, leaving you free to be Nineteen at a round number.”

Edér stared down at her for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed the first real laugh in he didn’t know how long. “Well, you know how to call me out when my mouth makes a fool of me.”

“I’m Hazel. This is Aloth,” she nodded to the elf. “Now what the Hel’s gone wrong in this town?”

 

So she was a Watcher. Or at least that’s what she claimed. Talking to the soul of that hanged dwarf woman who told her to go see old Maerwald. He had made some offhand comment about being on his way out and she offered him a place to come too. He looked her over again. She looked… tired. Edér knew how that felt. But she looked honest. _‘Course that’s what the orlans want you to think_ , said a voice in the back of his mind.

“Look,” she said. “I can’t promise you that we’re going to find anything exciting and I don’t know where we’ll wind up. Right now we’re,” she nodded at Aloth, “just banding together because it’s better than traveling alone. But I bet it’s a lot better than getting hanged.”

Edér let out a puff of smoke. Truth be told, he didn’t feel like his life expectancy was much better with a Watcher than in Gilded Vale. But, Hel, he might as well _do_ something in his last days. His parents would have some words about him taking up with an orlan, but his parents weren’t here, were they? “I’m in. Have some questions for old Maerwald myself, if you don’t mind.”

“We can make a lunch party out of it,” the orlan said dryly.

“All right, then. Guess I’ll do some sightseeing.” Edér looked pointedly from the tree to the orlan. “Long as you’re not the one pickin’ the sights.”

The orlan’s ear twitched and she gave a small smile. “I can’t promise that. You said it yourself; I have a habit of getting involved.”

 

Of course they ran into Kolsc on the way there.

“Are we actually going to…” Aloth hesitated, “… do it?”

The Watcher looked up from the fire of their makeshift camp. “Of course we’re going to do it.” She wiped her hands off on her pants. “After we go visit Maerwald, I don’t see why we shouldn’t pay Raedric a visit. Of course, I shouldn’t speak for you two, but that’s what I’m going to do.”

Edér watched the two of him from his perch on a fallen log. Truth be told, seeing Kolsc alive had filled him with some sort of feeling, the first feeling he’d had in a long time. It was a dangerous thing, hope.

Could he actually do it? The Raedrics had ruled Gilded Vale since before he was born, since before his parents were born. By some such laws of the nobility he owed something to Raedric. ‘Course Raedric VII had turned into a crazy, murderous son of a bitch. Raedric should owe something to Gilded Vale, too. Something better than eighteen people hanging from a tree.

‘Course going to murder Raedric in his own keep was suicide. If they didn’t die in the attempt, they’d probably get hanged by the nobility. He looked at the Watcher, hands on her hips, silently looking up at them, waiting for their answers. She looked so determined, so gods-damn sure of herself, of what was right. Edér wanted to believe her, wanted to believe that they could pull this off, make it better. He had believed in his god and his country and where had that got him? But he desperately wanted to believe in this crazy, stubborn orlan.

So he was throwing his lot in with an orlan. Edér stood up and walked over to her. “I was a dead man anyway. Might as well take Raedric out with me on the way out.” He held out his hand.

The Watcher gave him a nod and clasped his hand, her hand dwarfed by his much larger one. Still had a hell of a grip for someone so small. “Glad to have you, Edér.”

Aloth sighed. “I… I’m in, too.”

She smiled, the first real smile Edér thought he’d seen from her, her face brightening despite the dark circles under her eyes. “Things are looking up from here, boys, I can feel it.”

 

Visiting Maerwald hadn’t gone well, to say the least of it. They camped in the great hall of the keep, her keep now. Edér taking watch.

She wasn’t sleeping well. Tossing and turning. He couldn’t blame her, not after what they just learned. But it was getting worse. The tossing and turning turned to all out thrashing, her eyes rolling back in her head, entire body shaking.

“Hey!” He tried to shake her awake, careful of not knocking her head against the stone floor. “Hey! Watcher! Hazel!”

The thrashing continued. After seemingly an eternity, her eyes focused and blinked open. She shook her head, drowsy.

“Hey! You awake?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, then turned and spat something dark out on the floor.

“Thought I was gonna have to get a bucket of cold water,” Edér tried to joke. “You, uh– you don’t seem like you get much rest at night. You’ve got those dark circles under your eyes,” he said lamely. Because that was the clue. Not the relentless thrashing.

She tensed for a moment, defensive, then sighed and lay her head back on her bedroll. “Not lately. At night there are dreams… and whispers. I don’t know. I can’t barely remember.”

“It’s the Watcher thing, then.” He tried to pat her shoulder in a comforting manner. “I’m sure it just takes some time to adjust is all.” He smiled in what he hoped was a convincing way, but he didn’t feel too convinced himself.

“Yeah, sure.” She didn’t look very convinced either.

They sat in quiet for a moment, both pretending they believed the lie.

She yawned and shook herself again. “Since I’m up now I can finish out the rest of the watch. You try to get some sleep.”

“If you’re sure. You’d better wake up faster next time. Trust me, you don’t want that bucket of cold water.”

She gave a weary smile. “You going to be around for the next time?”

Edér settled himself down on his bedroll. He made no mention of the fact he had nowhere else to go. First he needed to learn the truth about Woden. Then he could figure that out. Till then might as well stick with her. There were worse causes than helping a woman fight for her sanity. “Well, we still gotta take care of Raedric. And then we both got business in Defiance Bay. Don’t see why we can’t stick together for the time being.”

“Even if I drag you into getting involved?” she teased.

“’specially if you get involved. Someone’s gotta watch your back.”

“Don’t promise me anything yet. Who knows what we’ll dig up.”

 

Edér sat on the edge of the fountain next to Brighthollow, smoking his pipe. So they had done it. Killed Raedric. He thought he would feel something more but instead he was just tired. They hadn’t been in time to save Ygrid. Maybe if they’d been faster… No, there were too many people they hadn’t managed to save.

“Copper for your thoughts?” Hazel sat on the edge next to him, drawing up her feet. Her hair was loose and her ears fluffy, looked like she was straight out of a bath.

Edér blew out a long stream of smoke. “Just thinking back to Gilded Vale. To all those people up on the tree.”

She propped her chin up on her knees and watched him.

“I just… now that we’ve killed Raedric, I keep looking back on those years and thinkin’, why didn’t I do anything until now? It feels like some bad dream I was stuck in and couldn’t get outta. But how many people would be alive if I had–”

“Edér, you’d probably be dead, too.”

“I coulda joined up with Kolsc, I coulda–”

“It’s over. It’s done.” She sighed and buried her face in her knees. “Sorry, just, it’s terrible. So much is terrible.” She looked back up. “I’ve killed a lot of people in my life. Too many people, probably. And it’s not true of every job, but most of the time I try to tell myself the world is a better place without those scumbags in it. The world is a better place now without Raedric, Edér. Even if it was too late for too many people, it wasn’t too late for everyone.”

“But–”

“I saved you, didn’t I? That has to count for something.”

He decided not to argue further and took a long drag from his pipe. “How’s your sister?”

“Heather will be okay. I popped her ribs back into place and while they’re bruised, they’re not broken. She just needs some rest.” She cocked her head. “About that. I know we’re planning on going to Defiance Bay, but I’d like to wait until the rest of my siblings get here and get settled in before we leave. I’d understand if you want to go on ahead.”

“I’m fine with waitin’. ‘sides, we can clean out some of your murder basement in the meantime.”

Hazel smiled. “Thank you, Edér.” She stood up. “I should make sure Heather doesn’t need anything. I just wanted to check in on you.” She turned to go.

“Hazel,” Edér said. She looked back. “I’m tired of keepin’ my head down.”

She grinned. “I’m sure we can find some Hel to raise.”

 

They had certainly raised some Hel, thought Edér as he thought back to that conversation. More had happened then he ever could have imagined. They were so close now, as they camped in the forests of Eir Glanfath. So close to catching Thaos. And then… and then he didn’t really know what would happen. Watcher-y stuff, he guessed. Something had to happen. It couldn’t go on like this.

Damned luck as he thought it, he caught Hazel out of the corner of his eye starting to thrash on her bedroll. He tried to shake her awake but it did no good. She started spitting out phrases in no language he understood. All he could do was hold her down, hoping she didn’t hit her head or crack her spine. “Hey! Hey! Hazel!”

The others were starting to stir. This couldn’t go on like this. There had to be an end.

“Hazel!”

Eventually her eyes cleared and she was left gasping for breath.

Edér let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and shook his head. “You’ve gotta stop it with that. I just about punched you to snap you out of it.”

Hazel laughed and coughed, both dry in her throat. “What ever happened to the bucket of cold water?”

Edér laughed through his nose and shook his head as he sat back. At least she still had her sense of humor, after everything.

She sat up and winced. The others were settling back down. She closed her eyes as if in pain. “Things aren’t getting better. My mind’s going, Edér.”

He wanted to say something to the contrary, to reassure her, but he couldn’t. “To be honest, you remind me more of Maerwald than I’d like.” He looked her over. Her hair was lank, her face thin, and the dark circles were worse than ever. And that was without the blanking out at thin air bits. “Anything I can do, you just let me know. We’re close on this one, Haze. Hang on a little longer. We’ll get you fixed up.” He didn’t know which one of them he was trying to reassure.

Hazel took a ragged breath in and out. “Do you remember back when I first met you at the tree? How you said you’d do some sightseeing as long as I didn’t go picking the sights?” She opened her eyes. “How’s that worked out for you?”

“Well,” he drew out the word. “It’s certainly been a ride. Coulda done without some of the parts. But overall I don’t regret it. You’ve had a Hel of a run, Twenty-one and a half, and we’re going to keep you running still.”

Her ears twitched in amusement and she closed her eyes again. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep.”

“I don’t intend to.” It couldn’t go on like this. “Now try‘n get some sleep, Hazel. Folks don’t last long without sleep.”

 

They stood next to the large hole on Burial Isle, her family and friends arguing about who would be going down. Edér caught Hazel’s eye over everyone’s heads. She gave him a look back. There was no need to say anything. He would be coming, there was no question about it.

Hazel handed Vela over to her youngest sister. “Wait for us for a week. If we’re not back by then, head back to Caed Nua.”

After the hugs and tearful goodbyes, the final small group stood at the edge of the shaft to Sun in Shadow. He looked at Hazel. There was no need to say anything. She nodded.

He jumped.


End file.
